EFTM

A new Pill – Our review of the Beats By Dr. Dre Pill 2.0

Here we go again another Bluetooth speaker, however this time in the shape of a giant Panadol. It may not fill an entertainment area with hours of thumping, room filling music but as a personal entertainment companion it ticks a couple of pretty cool boxes. The original Pill was already a quality unit, however the second version adds some features in what is a very competitive market.

Connectivity

The Bluetooth paring process is a breeze, hold down the front facing stylised B for a few seconds and my iPhone 6 quickly sensed its presence, boom connected. For NFC devices an alternate way of paring is by simply taping the tag on the back and away you go.

Syncing two Beats Pills together is also possible by tapping them together like clapsticks, although considering the price for just one this is more a novelty option.

The speaker features an audio input and output, so you could actually stream form your chosen device to a much larger system, say a home theatre. The Pill itself would remain simply the conduit.

The Pill 2.0 is charged via a USB port with a battery life of somewhere between 6 – 8 hours, from my experience it’s likely to be closer to 6. Which is reasonably average.

A rubber seal at the very base conceals a full sized USB port which can be used to top up an almost expired smartphone for example, I doubt a full charge would be possible.

Bluetooth phone calls can also be received with the main control button operating as the pickup / hang up button. The microphone seems to be of decent quality, with a quick room to room call with my wife revealing a clear connection, even with the Pill about a metre away.

How It Operates.

The front facing control button can be used to pair, pause, track forward or backwards which is dependent on the number of clicks. Volume buttons are also located on the Pill although most will use the controls on their device. The power button is located at the rear, it’s an ultra-simple interface.

How It Sounds.

It’s certainly generates some volume, with a tightly packed cluster of four inch wide speakers. There’s very little depth to the base, although on the other hand nor is there any distortion. Music is clear and for a small device it does itself proud avoiding being overly tinny.

A Wrap

At 310g this is indeed a great little portable device, it feels great in the hand and looks the goods. Prices differ but in the Apple store it’s currently listed at $259.95, in my mind that’s a bit of a turn off. I’d expect more substantial acoustic talents at that price, and in light of just how competitive this segment is many will agree.

Beats Pill 2.0

Written by: Chris Bowen

Date Published: 10/22/2014

The original Pill was great, the 2.0 version now adds power output to charge your phone. At a hefty price it's going to struggle in the market up against strong competition, with only the Beats name drawing people in